The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1887-07-21
Good Prohibition Testimony.

Rev DR.. De Witt Talmage returned
to Brooklyn last month from n two
weeks trip through the West, and in
his Friday evening talks to his peo-
Pile he gave his isimpression of the work
mgs OF prohibition as follows:
Il give as my deliberate opinion that
an honset man cannot get drink of
intoxicants in Kansas or Iowa. say
an honest man, | saw not one in
toXicated man in those States, nor
met one on whose breath was the odor
of rum. No liquor is sold there. The
rum shops are all closed. In order to
get intoxicating liquor man must go
to adrug store and take solemn oath
before God that he is sick and requires
it as medicine, and there are but
very few men who are willing to com
NIT perjury. If the druggist triflle
with the law and sell to man with
out such assurance, or prove himself
an evader of the tlaw, he loses his cer-
tificate OF pharmacy and is put out of
the drug business. A clergyman
told me thatin his city in Kansas he
had seen but two intoxicated men in
fifteen months, and they had rum
jugs they had brought with them
from the East. AS our train of cars
stated out OF Kansas City, Mo-, to
cross into Kansas, the porter of the
dining-car came through and asked
the passengers if We would like to
order some beer. What do you meanY
| said. He answered, We can't sell
any beer after we cross into Kansas.
| tell you prohibition does prohibit
And all the talk you hear to the con-
trary is dishonest talk. Moreover,
prohibition has come there to stay.
The young men of those states are
proud to be called prohibitionists. In
their common schools the children
are taught the evil influence of strong
drink, and all young men in Kansas
and Iowa are either prohibitionists or
loafers. One reason for the present
immence emigration of good families
to those States is that there are fewer
temptations for young people Faith
ers and mothers have bethought them
selves what grand thing it would be
to rear their families away from the
everlasting steuch of rum with which
so many of our cities are accursed.
The paupelism, the crime, the vagran-
cy of those States are lessand less
Soon their criminal courts will be
disbanded and their jails will be
empty State by State prohibition will
, ( be adopted, and then we shall have
national prohibition. The stronger
States will help the weaker. Kansas
6 will help New York, The Congress
men and Senators at Washington who
are afraid of the rum traffic will finally
be outvoted by the Congressman ant
Senators who are not afraid Of it. The
country districts will be heard from
and they always stand for sobriety
The mighty dominion of alcoholism
will be broken. The evil will become
so great that an indignant nation vii
rise and stand it out OF existence
Do not be dispondent because tht
work is tedious and protracttd. 1t il
considered a great thing if nail trail
} under full headway can be stopped in
distance twice its length. Remembe
, that drunkenness with its long trail
4 of disasters has been under full head
+, way for centruies and no decided eli
forts has been made to arrest it nnti
within seventy years. II it stoppe,
i within century it will stop in les
G than half its length Of its rushing ant
a damning devastations. interviewed
d all the reporters, and all the clel
, gymen, and all the doctors, and a
the merchants, and all the mechanics
and all the farmers whom | met, an
the unanimous testimony is tina
: Kansas and Iowa prohibition prohil
c its. The only way to get drink {
d Lum in those States to-day is throug
e perjury"